Today may be Superhero Day but as far as Tewkesbury Town Football Club are concerned there is only one real superhero.

Step forward goalkeeper Andy Pepperell who played a starring role as the club won the Cheltenham League Senior Charity Cup with a dramatic penalty shootout win over Andoversford at the Jonny-Rocks Stadium last night.

They triumphed 6-5 on penalties after the game had finished 2-2 after 90 minutes.

And 36-year-old Pepperell, who made a number of vital saves during normal time as well, wasn’t just saving them in the shootout because he took a spot-kick as well.

Naturally enough he scored – superheroes don’t fail do they? – although he admitted his spot-kick nearly didn’t go in.

“I hit it to the keeper’s left and it went in off the post,” said Pepperell, who took the third penalty. “It was a little bit nervy. I always place it but I didn’t plan on it going that close to the post!”

But while there may have been a moment of doubt while the ball was rolling towards the net, Pepperell had no such worries when he was between the sticks because he saved two of Andoversford’s spot-kicks.

“The first one was down to my left and the second was away to my right,” he said.

Pepperell was at the very top of his game by this stage of proceedings although he admitted he didn’t feel that great before the game started again the Cheltenham League champions, who were presented with their Division One trophy before kick-off.

“I wasn’t confident, the pitch was slippy, very greasy,” he admitted, “but I made a couple of saves early on and I was okay after that.”

He certainly was and he saved his best almost until last when he dived full length to push away a shot that was heading for the top right hand corner.

“That was in the 95th minute, I was pleased with that,” added Pepperell.

Pepperell was beaten twice in the 90 minutes, firstly by Riley Woodman just before half-time and then by Ashley Cleal who converted a penalty after the break.

Tewkesbury had taken the lead early in the game through a Nick Hill header and it was Hill who took the game into a penalty shootout when he curled a spectacular left-footer into the top corner from 25 yards not long before the end.

“It was a brilliant strike,” said club secretary Marc Lane.

It was also a brilliant night for Tewkesbury who are getting pretty used to dramatic finishes after overcoming Upton Town and Brockworth Albion Reserves in penalty shootouts in the quarter-final and semi-final of this season’s Senior Charity Cup.

Pepperell, who joined the club in 2011 after moving up to this part of the world from Torquay, scored in both those shootouts of course as well as making a crucial save in each.

And he had plenty of motivation to succeed last night, telling The Local Answer: “Winning the Senior Charity Cup was on my bucket list!”

Tewkesbury’s other scorers in the penalty shootout were Hill, Ryan Clark, Jack England, Nick Hewett and Teejay Hosking.